


The Arena

by mercy_angel_09



Series: Fire Emblem 100 Challenge [11]
Category: Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Flashback, Gen, Thanks for the memories, nostalgia goggles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-12
Updated: 2013-05-12
Packaged: 2017-12-11 17:09:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/801101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mercy_angel_09/pseuds/mercy_angel_09
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Black Knight remembers better times, and hopes that it will be enough to carry him through.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Arena

He pulls his gauntlets on and remembers better days.

_“You don’t need to be nervous, this is just the way the king judges the skills of the new recruits,” General Gawain says, and not unkindly. His blue eyes are sparkling with life this morning, and he has a wide smile on his face. “You have the most talent out of all of them. Don’t worry, you’ll be just fine.”_

He rolls his shoulders and shakes out his arms and legs, loosening his muscles for the coming fight.

_“I-I’m not worried,” he answers, his voice cracking. “I know I’ll be fine.”_

_“Zeligus, have I ever told you that you’re a terrible liar?” General Gawain laughs. “Relax, son. Nobody is going to die today.”_

Grabbing Alondite he moves through the warm-up exercises he learned ages ago under his sword master. Things were better then. There was less suffering. He had hope for the future. And then everything changed.

“Sir Knight, we’re ready for you,” a man says.

He turns and nods his head, noting the way the poor soul is shaking in his boots. How very odd that his own countrymen would find him a threat. He has no orders to hurt them, he is simply to push the plan forward, as his master has decided. Even if it means participating in these pointless duels.

“Best of luck,” the man squeaks out before he ducks down a hallway.

Luck. What a joke. Luck is what his opponent will need if he wants to leave the arena alive.

He remembers better days, when the arena was a place of honor. Asharnd has since soiled it with pointless bloodshed. He wonders what his sword master would say if he could see the arena now. General Gawain, stubborn and arrogant as he was, still had a sense of honor and duty. No doubt he’d be disgusted with the way things turned out. After all, he’d been disgusted when Ashnard took over in the first place.

He remembers better days, and hopes that the memories will carry him through his awful task.


End file.
